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ABC cancels 'The Revolution,' keeps 'General Hospital'

April 11, 2012 | 7:10
pm

ABC confirmed Wednesday that it has decided to pull the plug on its daytime venture "The Revolution."

The daytime self-help show will come to a close in the beginning of July. We can't say we didn't see it coming, but, hey, at least it happened after Tim Gunn told viewers his love tank has been empty for 29 years.

News of the cancellation probably will elicit cheers from die-hard soap fans who had to watch as their beloved soaps, "One Life to Live" and "All My Children," ended their runs to make room for the network's attempt at revamping its daytime lineup with talk shows — which, in addition to "The Revolution," included "The Chew."

The network also announced its last soap standing, "General Hospital," will keep on going — a relief considering there was speculation about what would happen to the struggling sudser with Katie Couric's new syndicated talk show in line to take over its 3 p.m. time slot come fall. The three current daytime entities — "The Revolution," "The Chew" and "General Hospital" — had been vying for the network's two remaining daytime slots. With "The Chew" bringing in about the same numbers that "All My Children" brought it (about 2 million), it stayed. And with "The Revolution," which airs at 2 p.m. and premiered in January, failing to catch on with viewers, it became the sacrificial lamb.

In the interim (from July 9 until Couric's show, "Katie," premieres Sept. 10) the network will air a special "Good Morning America"-branded show (tentatively titled "GMA in the Afternoon") alongside "General Hospital" and "The Chew" to fill the space. Expanding the morning show into daytime would seem especially logical given its recent success in the ratings department.